About AWPF

ABOUT THE ADVANCED WATER PURIFICATION FACILITIES (AWPF)

The AWPF at Terminal Island contains a two-stage process that produces water that exceeds the level of quality required by the state and federal regulators while providing a beneficial resource to the Harbor area for non-potable reuse.

The first stage involves pumping water that has been treated to the tertiary level through a microfiltration unit. These units consist of membranes that filter out minute quantities of pollutants that remain in the tertiary effluent.

In the second stage, the microfiltration effluent (or filtrate) is pumped through reverse osmosis membranes that filter out pollutants as small as water molecules. The reverse osmosis process is so effective that AWPF water quality is almost identical to the purity and clarity of fresh water. The water is then disinfected using a chlorine contact tank, which provides an added measure of protection against water borne viruses.

In the second stage, the microfiltration effluent (or filtrate) is pumped through reverse osmosis membranes that filter out pollutants as small as water molecules. The reverse osmosis process is so effective that AWPF water quality is almost identical to the purity and clarity of fresh water. The water is then disinfected using a chlorine contact tank, which provides an added measure of protection against water borne viruses.

The final "product water" is then pumped through a distribution system to customers in the Harbor area. Every drop of AWPF product water produced reduces the amount of fresh drinking water that is diverted for non-potable uses. The AWPF Ultimate Expansion will be completed in 2017 and will double the capacity of the AWPF to 12 million gallons per day.

MICROFILTRATION

The purpose of the microfiltration (MF) system is to provide pretreatment to and remove particulate matter from the tertiary treated water before the reverse osmosis (RO) system. Compared to other treatment systems, the MF treatment process is uniquely capable of consistently producing a high-quality filtrate from tertiary-treated feedwater. The operating capacity of the MF at TIWRP is 8.64 million gallons per day (MGD) of filtrate.

The following components make up the MF System:

Feedwater pre-filters

Continuous microfiltration (CMF) units

Compressed air system

Instrumentation and control system

The CMF units are the heart of the MF; these units include tubular piping, valves, actuators and modules that are all necessary to the function of the MF. Inside the CMF modules are the hollow, semi-permeable fine membrane fibers which filter the feedwater. The feedwater flows along the outside of thousands of these membrane fibers, and particulate matter is deposited on the outside (shell side) of the fibers as the filtered water passes to the inside (lumen side) of the fibers. More about microfiltration

REVERSE OSMOSIS

The purpose of the reverse osmosis (RO) system is to remove dissolved solids and other remaining constituents from the recycled water, conditioning it for use as the supply to the Dominguez Gap Barrier (DGB).

The RO System contains the following components:

RO feedwater filters

RO membrane feed pumps

RO trains

RO clean-in-place (CIP) systems

Membrance flush system

Interconnecting piping and valves

Instrumentation and controls

Sulfuric acid and scale inhibitor chemical systems

The RO feedwater pre-filters consist of a stainless steel pressure vessel that houses cylindrical polypropylene filters. Before passing through the RO filters, the feedwater water is pre-treated, which further reduces the amount of bacteria in the water and the organic matter. The RO process is the last step before the water flows to the chlorine contact tank, and then is pumped out to the DGB. More about Reverse Osmosis

HIGHLIGHTS

Here are some highlights about the AWPF system at TIWRP:

The Advanced Water Purification Facility utilizes microfiltration, reverse osmosis, stabilization and disinfection to produce six MGD of high-quality recycled water.

The water produced is extensively treated, high-quality recycled water that replaces drinking water currently used for non-drinking purposes.

The County of Los Angeles uses the high-quality recycled water from the AWPF for seawater intrusion prevention at the Dominguez Gap Barrier (located in the vicinity of Long Beach, Wilmington and Carson). Once expansion is completed in early 2017, recycled water contribution to the Dominguez Gap Barrier will be 100%.

AWPF has delivered 6.9 billion gallons or 21,200 acre-feet of recycled water to the DGB as of June 2015.

Advanced Oxidation Porcess (AOP), which is a new and highly effective technology to disinfect recycled water, will be installed under the expansion project. The AOP will use ultraviolet light and will begin use after the AWPF Ultimate Expansion Project is completed in 2017.

The recycled water from the AWPF reduces the need to import drinking water from the Eastern Sierra, Northern California and the Colorado River, while at the same time protecting the quality of groundwater in local wells.

PARTNERS

The following organizations help to operate and distribute the recycled water from the AWPF at TIWRP.